should i finish my master degree? please help

[Tiny Nietzsche]

i'll be very honest, not afraid embarrassing

- i'm 27 year old

- what do i study? philosophy, M.A.

- why i wanna quit? i found out that it's not me, i hardly think about it, i don't have a career aim about it, i always look at the clock everytime while i reading books & texts, i never have a flow state to it, it's just painful while on the lecture, 'what tf am i doing' pops up everytime lately, it's extremely hard to me to motivate myself

- how long i've been studying? 1.5 years (it takes 2.5-3 years to graduate, so, around 1 year left)

- why i started it at the first place? i chased after my ex, she studied psychology (i know it's stupid, i know), before that, i never think of taking a master degree at all, i also graduate with economics

- what would i do if i quit? i love investment & economics, im building up my portfolio gradually many years ago, especially for incoming NFTs, Defi and web 3.0

- i keep thinking about it last 3-4 months, im just afraid that i would regret it

- i'm also afraid that people might look down at me because of quitting (i know i shouldn't really care, but deep down, they way i am, i still do, u feel me right?)

- tbfh, it tortures me, i wanna quit, it's not me

- but i still think it's good to get a vary of opinion, because in the other hand, it probably benefit me in the future? idk, please help

Edited February 13, 2022 by Tiny Nietzsche

[undeather]

That depends on a lot of other circumstances:
- Do you pay for university? How is your financial situation?
- How much work do you still need to put into it? Can you half-ass it and start doing what you really like besides it?

I personally would propably go for it. Even if its a useless degree, we live in a world where a simple title after your name can open doors for you. Also, 1 year isnt too much of a time investiment for the potential benefit.

If you would live in the US, paying 20k for a semester - then this would be a hard no though.
 

Edited February 13, 2022 by undeather

[happyhappy]

@Tiny Nietzsche philosophy MA's  do not give high career expectations anyways compared to the booming markets of NFT's and economic turnarounds . philosophers are all over this forum and as u can see, they are genuinely interested in pursuing the truth or whatsoever.

If you are not interested, quitting is the best. not drag urself. as @undeather said,

consider his points!

as u hv already completed almost half of it, just one yr right? can u half ass it and come away with both the degree and ur interests? if finances are concerned, some unis need to pay the whole tuition charges in the beginning and they have no refund policies if u quit. 

if ur mental state is affected by pushing urself to do this while knowing that ur interest is somewhere else, rather give priority to ur mental heath.

 

[MarkusR]

My fucking god. These are the types of questions you dont need any of us to answer for you. This is for sure one of those things you MUST decide for yourself. What do YOU want from life, be completely fucking honest. Don't allow any institution to be in control of your destiny and whatever you decide to do. You aren't a child any more, you're a full grown man. That university is a bunch of other full grown men and women that have created something, it does not control you, it does not own you, and it is not some safety net to cuddle into as a comfort zone. Why the fuck would you waste any more of this precious life doing something you do not enjoy, or at least feel a purpose toward as you pursue it.

If at any point in life philosophy becomes something you truly care for, then fucking go for it, and dont let some institution dictate your pursuit of it. If right now economics, investments and making money is something you desire do it with all your heart with a burning passion and forget the school completely. A masters means nothing truly, your character, who you are, what you do day to day and your raw skill is what matters point blank period. And you'll develop none of that acting like a wimp and asking people to make your life decisions for you.

 

[brun0]

Hello, i think i can help you figure this out by telling you my experience;

i am a marketing major student, didn't know wtf I was doing, just yolo'ed and pick the most creative/management based course

Job history(in order)

- supposedly marketing intern (they dumped me in IT and warehouse department most of the time)
- field researcher
- mathematics tutor
- corporate insight analyst
- insurance agent
- operations executive
- fiber optic technician
- sales executive
- human resources executive
- project executive (current job)

I did not plan my life path, I just took every opportunity to learn that was given to me AND BOY I LEECHED EVERYTHING I CAN LEARN FROM IT even if i wasn't interested, cause i know, the more diverse topics i know, the better i can pick up chicks in the bar :3 , or tinder now, cuz covid ._.

My point is, life is crazy, it brings you all over the place to experience the best and worst things in life.. remember that everything you experience in your reality is preparing you for a bigger picture.. take some time off, layout every education course/job you've done and skills you have(useful or useless) 

You might not see the hint for your life blueprint yet, but just keep on swimming, do random things that you've always wanted to do, and figure it out,.... this is your journey sir

and remember what mr oogway said in kungfu panda

Edited February 15, 2022 by brun0

[John Paul]

I would pick quit if i were between the two because you aren't even going to use the degree and you only have a limited amount of years before your body will give out.

sounds like a sweet deal either way. you quit and live a more passionate life instantly or you stick it out for only one year and you have a master's degree lol.

[Michal__]

If you don´t quit it will have the extra benefit of gaining more discipline. Which you´ll need anyway lol. And nft´s are not something that you´d want to make your life focus : D.

[BlueOak]

How much have you invested, how much is left to invest?
How are your career prospects with or without the degree where you live? - If you don't know find out.
If you do leave. What is your plan if you leave? Make a couple of plans so you have something to fall back on. Not just i'll do this, but i'll do this for this to get there, to map out 10 years at least.

The people who look down on you for quitting a course you can't stand are likely people who have never expericenced failure. Which means they've never tried anything worth a damn, perhaps they've lived a sheltered life and never had to live. That or they are people who think enduring to get to the end of it has value, for its own sake. For example if its family pressure only keeping you there that's a sucky reason to live your own life for someone else.

Are you depressed and making decisions from a rational place or an emotional place? Is something else going on that's bugging you? If you can't think of any value from this degree have you looked into it? I mean really searched out there? 

Philosophy is one of the things that can cause ego death, or at least strip away some of the baggage that you were carrying. Which can cause you to feel like you have no direction, purpose or feel hollow. Its a process. It's up to you to build it back up, nobody else does it for you, life doesn't bring it to you and spoon feed it. Living life for other people for example or by their own beliefs or values often ends in tragedy.

Before you make any choice, make sure you are calm, rational and crystal clear with your reasoning and with a plan in place. Else you'll be exactly where you are now.

[Vxvxen]

If you have 1 year left to finish your studies, I think it's better to finish it off.

You can choose to dive into other fields of interest/passion/hobbies later on in life eventually, studying philosophy might come useful one day, who knows? 

The mind likes to think how the grass is greener on the other side, thus you tend to feel stuck in your situation.

Perhaps having an accountability partner from your course may help you to get through this easier.

Know that you'll always have choices in life, good luck with your endeavor

Edited February 15, 2022 by Vxvxen

[Terell Kirby]

On 2/13/2022 at 3:56 AM, Tiny Nietzsche said:

why i wanna quit? i found out that it's not me

this is all you need to make the right decision. You are most likely worried about how other's will perceive this change.

The mind is sneaking this way .. I struggle with worrying about how other's will perceive my decisions as well.

[Ulax]

@MarkusR Agreed

[Nahm]

On 2/13/2022 at 3:56 AM, Tiny Nietzsche said:

it's extremely hard to me to motivate myself

Yes. Motivation runs it’s course. It’s impossible for ‘me to motivate myself’. 

On 2/13/2022 at 3:56 AM, Tiny Nietzsche said:

 i found out that it's not me

Nothing is. ???

[Ulax]

.

Edited February 19, 2022 by Ulax

[vizual]

You need to be pragmatic, not just listen to your feelings. Your feelings can deceive you and they will. A masters degree is always a plus on your resume for future employers, even if it’s not in the field you will be working in . A masters degree in philosophy is an impressive feat and can be a real conversation starter for the rest of your professional life. It’s way better than: “yeah i was getting my masters degree but i dropped out”. 
 

Own that masters degree, do it. You don’t want to be working at Mcdonalds or Kentucky fried chicken

[Spence94]

You could stay, finish off the degree, try get some value out of it, if anything the degree might help in certain circumstances in the professional world. If you're already not really paying much attention, just handle it gracefully if you can, get a decent score but don't stress, and use that rare opportunity you have with the time, energy and access to the uni library to study and work on what you really wanna build.

I did that in the final year of my BA History degree. Totally out of touch with it, even though I love History still.  It was the same year I found Actualized.org, meditation, yoga and spirituality. I miss having that freedom that university gives.  I think I listened to more hours of Leo talking that year than I did my professor lol. 

I dunno man. Just thoughts.

Edited March 2, 2022 by Spence94

[mojsterr]

I think you already know the answer.

 

I would say "Quit", because otherwise you're just torturing yourself and throwing your life away for something you don't love.

 

Edited March 8, 2022 by mojsterr